The days of children playing hide and seek outside are gone. Walking long distances to and from school, walking to a friend’s house to play on the weekends or walking to the bus stop to go to the mall with friends. It is rare to find a child carrying a bagged lunch to school, which would include a healthy lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an apple with cookies or chips being the unhealthiest part of the lunch. Child obesity is the result of poor nutrition at home and in our school system as well as the lack to children playing outside. Also, physical education programs breng cut from our schools and technology causing the child to be in front of a computer or video game versus playing outside.
I
feel that both the school and the parents are responsible for the overall wellbeing of the children. While there are many causes for obesity and related health problems including parental influence, easy access to fast food. I believe advertisement of corporations such as, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s is reason for the increase of obesity and health related problems. Some people make eating fast food a common meal when it should be a rare decision. Proper nutritional choices for children need to begin at home and reinforced by offering correct food choices and educate our children and parents. The results of obese children, specifically teenagers range from bulimia, poor self-esteem as well as physical and emotional health issues.
I remember getting a Atari system for Christmas and my mom getting upset with my dad. She didn’t want me sitting in the house all day during the summer playing video games so she limited me to just one hour a day. That was fine with me because I wasn’t much of a video game person anyway. My days usually consisted of riding my bike and talking on the phone. My parents made it known they didn’t want me lying around the house.
Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as